Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-03-18

Psrbaps no better iIi1strafion has
ever hesn given e uhss is psoEeresaiiy
ealIAd tbs power Of the press than that
which cau todAy be f01nd. % al pfaoes
In the World. N Rnssia- But even il
the exAnapis whiah - ere abous 20 cite,
Il b ebs power q . eFeat Individuality
acting through the medium OF q DeVs-
paper, rather than the tmpsrsoa4t foree
Of a Journal itself, thoGeh, IL 10 bad noe
hen fer the channel which this means
Of fsH 1sncin9 p7blie opiui0a Afforded,
one hiss good reason for o0abtlDg
wbesheF the nan who Is now styled The
asc1nd ausocrat Of Rassis wo1i1 ever
have rssen 70 aoy nsrksd prominenee
in the public ef 4ifs Of that country
II does not reed % Be said that N
Rsssis she newspapers are paeiished
under sfrict csnsoFsbfp. Instfuesloas
are seat from the imperial buFrs1 hsy-
ing supervision Of this service 10 tie
editors Of various j1uFuais. nos My M
forming them OF we line Of argumsut
trey must adopt In treating Of permiss-
ibie subjects OF disoassioB, bat also no
tifyine them Of the sutj scts that are not
20 fe 80 much - mentioned. and N
this lstteT class are 20 ee found thoss
matters In which the largest public IL
NELCM4 EAaH4Hs AL E4Ah0E - ~ 1A1aN A14 -
thess notifications would CONNOLLY
hsTe bet q shost lea Of ioarnaIistis
life eft 10 him. Ga the 6rss edsnss Il Q
edition containing the oGensin< article
might be merely suppre, SD, bas on Q
renewal Of toe misdemeanoT the e.
tablishmsnt uoald be seized aud held
for q term Of mouths or permaoe ntiy
oOndscated, and the editor might con-
sideT himself fsrtuoats II be escaped 81
heavy hna and an Imprisonment fer q
oonsiderahls perlod Of time. Rassla
would naturally be supposs d 70 be Ous
Of the Ieass likely places for tbs sxsrsise
Of journalistic inhesnee, and yes 10 is
probably thAt DO editor exercises .
greater infaeoce In shaping natlORal
events than M. Katkaff. the responsible
head Of the Moscow Gaesfte.
The secret Of n. Kslkoa's success,
apart fFsm bis indisputable ability. coz
ststs In bis unWaveripR and enthusiastic
advocaey Of what 10 termed the Russian
imperial policy. As seine men are said
to be more Catholic than the Pope, 90
N. Kaaken may be called more auto
cratic than the Gar. He has been the
bitter enemy Of all measures locking
toward the liberalization Of Russian In
stitutions, opposing these even when
the impsFial government has shown
willingness 70 make concessions. In
his opinion, all power and authority in
church and state should centre IN the
Car, and say attempt to weaken bic
absolute sway, no matter By whom pro-
posed. IL dialoyalty to the Russian inn
20 ial system.
A maa holding and preaching these
theories cannot be suspected ct the
faintess tipQs Of uihilism. or even of
eonstitutionalism, aud By insisting upon
this doctrine through series of gears.
In season and ont Of season, NJ. kstk0n
has convinced the Car Of his iIdubita
bic loyalty to the imeeriAl system and
Of his VaIus ss tie advocate. Bat hav-
ing OuCs thus established himself, the
editor of the Moscow Gdzstts has taken
upon himself to assume q line OF policy
which 10 in certain ways antaRonistie to
bis th oFy. Apparently, he believes
that it il possible for the imperial gov
ernment itself to prove false to the I'm.
peFial tradition, and be thinks it neoes.
aary 10 play the part of tine Can con
science, and iR.oEm bim what, as Car,
his 1aifiou commands that he shoald
do and what be should not do.
In carrying out bis purpose be never
besitates to deu ouAoe what he bsllsves
TO be mistakes in the imperial policy,
particularly 10 foreign. and oftea 10
domestic atf airs. Tue csasor sends Gus
a word Of command that attacks must
not be made in the Russian newspapers
upon GermsHy, as tbs goliey Of the
Gear is to cultivate peaceful relations
with his imperial kinsman at Berli'
bat the next issue of the Moss W Ga
1ctfe will perhaps contain ga attack even
more yitulent than any that had Pic
oeded it upoa German diplomacy. and
the German government, showing that
their te deucy IL 10 undermine the
autocratio system of Russia. Suca q
defiance OF the ceusoEshi, would, II In
dulg, in by any one else, bring upon
the offender qaiok and certain punish
ment, bat ia such matters Nj. kAtkof
appears to be Law uBtO himself.
ruus exempted from ordinary re-
strainls it cannot be denied that for
good or for evil the Moscow CARTE ex
eraises an enormous iuiusnee. IL IA
the one free voice in Russia, albeit its
voice is pitohs upon What We should
consider false key. II Is the one pa
per to which the RassiaOs oan turE,
with the knowledge THAI les articles
have not been dictated from or emascu-
lated by the bureau of censorship. IL
IL this assuF sDoo that has given to its
editor the title of second aatoorat, for
next to the Car there - probably not
another man il Russia Who has any
thing approaching the influence IN
SHAPING national events that is possess
ed BY NJ. Katkoff.